GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS FACE PHANTOMS TO START THREE-GAME WEEKEND
Amerks make pit stop at Blue Cross Arena ahead of four-game road trip
Jan 16, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (22-10-3-0) enter their busiest weekend of the season to date with three games in as many nights, starting Friday at Blue Cross Arena against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (18-14-5-1).
Rochester faces Lehigh Valley twice this season, with both meetings coming on back-to-back nights. Following Friday’s matchup, the two teams will each bus to Allentown, Pennsylvania for a rematch at PPL Center Saturday night. Rochester has won five of the last seven meetings against the Phantoms at Blue Cross Arena dating back to the 2019-20 season.
“They play a hard, honest game,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone. “I mean, they don't take shifts off. They don't take nights off. They play. We got to make sure we're playing really, really fast. They’re probably the best forechecking team we’ve seen on video. It’s probably the biggest team we’ve seen all year. This is going to be a big test for us here tonight.”
LAST TIME OUT
Despite Riley Fiddler-Schultz and Brandon Warren each scoring their eighth goals of the season, Rochester saw its season-long seven-game win streak snap at the hands of the Syracuse Crunch in a 6-2 loss on the road Saturday night. The setback also marked the end of the Amerks’ eight-game win streak on the road, which tied a franchise-best road win streak set from Dec. 29, 1998-Feb. 6, 1999.
Devon Levi recorded 29 saves in the loss, ending a personal five-game win streak for the sophomore goaltender.
Elsewhere, the Phantoms picked up their fifth win in the last seven games Wednesday night, helping the Amerks by topping the North Division’s Belleville Senators by a 3-2 final. Anthony Richard netted the game-winning-goal midway through the third period while former Buffalo Sabres draft pick Cal Petersen made 24 saves for the win.
SANDSTRÖM SEEING DOUBLE
It’s been exactly a year to the day since the last time Lehigh Valley visited Rochester. Felix Sandström played in that game, but the Swedish-born goaltender was in a Phantoms jersey. Now, the first-year Amerk will face the team he played with for parts of the last six seasons. Sandström, 28, was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015 and spent his first six professional seasons in North America with the organization.
Leone confirmed during Friday morning’s media availability that Levi will start Friday, while Sandström will face his former team Saturday night in Lehigh Valley.
“He's done a great job for us,” said Leone when asked about Sandström. “You look at his last three starts and he's been outstanding. I'm a firm believer in you’ve got to practice the way you play. Sandy's been putting together weeks in a row of really strong practices. He’s got a lot of confidence.”
Through 88 games with Lehigh Valley, the veteran goaltender posted a 39-29-13 record with two shutouts.
“I’m really excited about this weekend,” said Sandström. “I’d be lying if I was saying this didn’t feel different. It’s exciting to see my former team. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to. They (the Flyers) were huge for me. They believed in me, and I had a great time with the coaching staff and my teammates. I really learned a lot and it was a great experience.”
Sandström enters the weekend having won his last three starts. In his first season with Rochester, the 10-year pro has posted a 6-4-1 record and will make his 100th AHL appearance in his next start.
WAR DOG
Warren’s goal Saturday in Syracuse was his eighth of the season, as the Carleton, Michigan, native continues to have a career-best season. In his fifth season with the Amerks, Warren has 11 points (8+3) in 29 games.
“He's been fantastic,” said Leone. “As a coach, you want guys who are dependable, coachable, and reliable. He brings a physical element to our team. He can really skate. There's a lot of times in games where he has the ability to change momentum in a game.”
In 257 pro games across the AHL and ECHL, Warren has amassed 47 goals and 39 assists for 86 points.
“I think I’ve just been trying to build on what has been happening the last couple of years,” said Warren. “I think age and experience has brought a little more confidence and the linemates (Josh Dunne and Graham Slaggert) that I've been playing with combined with Leo and getting consistent playing time and all that stuff has been kind of a culmination that’s helped me have this season.”
The sixth-year pro was originally drafted by Arizona in 2015, but briefly had his rights acquired by Philadelphia in 2017 in a trade with the Coyotes. He would go on to find himself in the ECHL with Jacksonville to begin his pro career before signing an AHL contract with Rochester.
PHANTOM FURY
Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere racked up nearly 2,000 penalty minutes over his 16-year NHL career, so it comes as no surprise that his team plays with a similar edge. The Phantoms are second in the AHL with 552 penalty minutes and finished third in the league with 1,091 a season ago. Garrett Wilson, the team’s captain, leads the charge with 75 PIMs on the season.
Lehigh Valley’s roster features defenseman Hunter McDonald, a Fairport native in his rookie season. The local product has two goals and 12 points and is one of five Phantoms to have appeared in over 35 of the team’s games this season.
In goal, Petersen is a former Sabres’ draft choice from 2013. Buffalo selected him in the fifth round of the NHL Draft. The 30-year-old has since gone on to play parts of six seasons in the NHL, mostly with Los Angeles, while also becoming a two-time AHL All-Star with Ontario.